Ismael Cruz Córdova

Ismael Cruz Córdova is a Puerto Rican-American actor, whose character Armando debuted on the 44th season of Sesame Street. He is occasionally credited as Ismael-Enrique Cruz Cordova. Córdova also voiced a Cuban rooster in the "Latino Festival" episode. He was cast through an open call for Hispanic-Americans, which was chronicled through a series of videos released on the Sesame StreetYouTube channel.

Cordova had a recurring role on The Good Wife in 2011. He starred in the short Chaser (2013), and appears in the thriller In the Blood (2013) with Danny Trejo. He is a member of Political Subversities, a live musical-sketch comedy show performing across New York City; he was included on their live comedy album. He earned strong reviews for a production of The Old Man and the Sea: "The play's successes are mostly owed to Ismael Cruz Cordova's achingly gorgeous portrayal of Manilo, whose love for his old mentor is evident in his every word and gesture."[1]

Cordova is a BFA graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Experiment Theatre Wing. He has been trained in dance styles including Afro-Haitian dance, capoeira, plastiques, ballet, and hip hop. He is a native Spanish speaker, and has conversational French and basic American Sign Language training.